GENERAL HISTORY 



[911 



t^e prosecutor on that occasion. 

 He began with asserting tliat the 

 observation made by the court- 

 martial, that " there appears to 

 have existed such a want of co- 

 operation among the officers of the 

 regiment, as to render the duties 

 of the commanding officer much 

 more arduous than they otherwise 

 would have been," was not found- 

 ed on fact. He then proceeded 

 to comment on the charges which 

 had been produced against Colonel 

 Quentin, and the evidence in sup- 

 port of them, in doing which, he 

 quoted from the reply he had made 

 before the court-martial to the de- 

 fence set up by Colonel Quentin. 

 He concluded with reading that 

 part of the sentence of the court- 

 martial, which, in his opinion, in- 

 juriously reflected upon the cha- 

 racters of those in whose behalf he 

 was now imploring the intercession 

 of the House; and with respect to 

 himself, he said he had never wish- 

 ed to become the prosecutor of 

 Colonel Quentin, but had been di- 

 rected to undertake that task, not 

 only by the authority of the Com- 

 mander in Chief, but bj^ command 

 of the Prince Regent himself. In 

 fine he moved for *' An humble 

 address to hie Royal Highness, 

 that he would graciously be pleased 

 to direct the proceedings of the 

 general Court-martial held on 

 Colonel Quentin to be laid before 

 them." 



Mr. Manners Sutton, (Judge 

 Advocate) said, that the course 

 which the lion, mover had pursued 

 was the most extraordinary he had 

 €ver witnessed in parliament. The 

 motion had been deferred in order 

 to give time for the production of 

 the evidence, and he now ex- 

 pected to convince the House by 



reading one-half of the proceeding's. 

 He was himself clearly of opinion, 

 that unless it was the intention to 

 attack the integrity of the court- 

 martial, there existed not the 

 slightest foundation for the motion. 

 The court was a competent tri- 

 bunal. The members stood high 

 in public opinion, and il was suffi- 

 cient to read the list to remove 

 every suspicion of their being ac- 

 tuated by impro[)er influence. The 

 hon. gentleman then adverted to 

 various particulars of the charge. 

 He admitted that the discipline of 

 the regiment was in a \ery bad 

 state under Col. Quentin's com- 

 mand, and that under the previous 

 command of Col. Robaits and 

 the hon. mover, the discipline was 

 excellent; but his reply was. that 

 all this was known to the duke of 

 AVelliiigton, who applied the 

 proper remedy ; and the court- 

 martial, deeming all the imputa- 

 tions upon Col. Quentin's courage 

 unfounded, and holding that for 

 the rest he had received a suffi- 

 cient censure, had come to ♦he 

 judgment now under consideration. 

 He then adduced facts to justify 

 the court in its remark on the 

 want of co-operation among the 

 officers. He also adverted to the 

 case of Col. Ross of the 85lh 

 regiment, v/ho having been found 

 guilty of improperly "employing 

 men on duty, the captains by 

 whom the charge was preferred, 

 were dismissed, and Col. Ross, in 

 consequence of having himself 

 previously instigated trivial prose- 

 cutions, was directed to retire, 

 selling his commission : the officers 

 in this case might feel aggrieved, 

 but it was for an impiiitial witness 

 to decide, whether any thing had 

 taken place in the result of Uie 

 LP 2] 



